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Detroit Tigers prospect Jace Jung, an ice cream emoji and his first taste of World Series
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- Detroit Tigers prospect Jace Jung, an ice cream emoji and his first taste of World Series
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Detroit Tigers infield prospect Jace Jung and his older brother, Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung , were obsessed with eating ice cream as kids. The Jung brothers, separated in age by about 2½ years, would dig into the ice cream tub almost every night.
The brotherly love for ice cream played a role in the 2023 World Series, in which the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks for their first championship in franchise history .
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The younger brother watched his older brother from the stands and enjoyed his first taste of the World Series, but now, he wants more than just a taste. The Tigers hope the 23-year-old will join their core of young players at some point in the 2024 season.
"A lot of ice cream this way," Jace Jung said Thursday, one day after his older brother's Game 5 victory. "It was kind of a weird, silly, goofy thing, but he knew what it meant."
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Detroit Tigers prospect Jace Jung (left) and Texas Rangers infielder Josh Jung (right) after the Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the 2023 World Series on November 1, 2023, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
Josh Jung , who might have won American League Rookie of the Year if not for a left thumb fracture that sidelined him from early August until mid-September, hit .308 with three home runs (eight extra-base hits) across 17 games in the postseason.
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He played all five games in the World Series.
In Game 3, Josh went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. It was the first of three consecutive games at Chase Field in Phoenix. After Game 3, the Jung brothers — both first-round picks in their respective draft classes — were talking about hitting.
The next morning, Jace strategically sent Josh a photo of Chase Field, only instead of a normal photo, he put a soft-serve ice cream emoji in right-center field.
"It has nothing to do with baseball," Jace Jung said. "It's just ice cream the other way. Sure enough, his first hit (in Game 4) was a double to right-center field. I was just trying to get his confidence up and get his juices going."
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Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (6) celebrates after hitting a double during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4 of the 2023 World Series at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. The DBacks lost to the Rangers 11-7, putting the Ranger at 3-1 in the World Series.
Indeed, Josh Jung ripped a two-strike sinker off left-hander Joe Mantiply , a former Tigers reliever, into right-center field — answering his younger brother's call for opposite-field ice cream — to begin the second inning of Game 4.
The Rangers scored five runs in the second inning, five runs in the third inning and beat the Diamondbacks, 11-7, for their third victory in the best-of-seven series. The elder Jung finished 3-for-5 in Game 4, and just like that, the Rangers were one win away from celebrating a World Series championship.
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"Don't even think about it, truly," Josh Jung said on MLB Network after Game 4 . "We're just out here to play baseball. Go one game at a time, don't make the moment more than it is and keep going. We got time to reflect after the season."
The Rangers won again, 5-0, in Game 5 at Chase Field for their first World Series title.
Chase Field, located in downtown Phoenix, isn't far from where Jace Jung has been playing Arizona Fall League games alongside fellow top prospects with the Salt River Rafters.
"It was super special to be able to be there," Jace Jung said. "I'm more nervous in the stands watching him than actually playing games. ... When you're in the stands, you don't have control over anything."
Before Game 5 of the World Series, Jace played third base — a position familiar to his brother but new to him — against Peoria Javelinas at the Peoria Sports Complex. He made a diving play to end the fifth inning and strand two runners in scoring position.
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After the final pitch, Jace rushed out of the Fall League ballpark and traveled roughly 30 miles (in a plane) to Chase Field to cheer on his brother, who started at third base for the Rangers, in Game 5 of the World Series.
The Jung brothers celebrated the World Series championship together on the field.
"That's where I want to be," Jace Jung said. "I want to be competing for championships and playing in the postseason. That's where the fun happens. ... Hanging out with them after, I saw how close they were as a team. That was really special to see."
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The World Series, though, wasn't the only ring for the Jung brothers in 2023.
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In the minor leagues, Jace Jung — the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Texas Tech — hit .265 with 28 home runs, 79 walks and 139 strikeouts in 128 games with High-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie, posting an .878 OPS.
He ranks as the Tigers' No. 4 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline , and the No. 67 prospect in baseball.
The Tigers promoted Jung, who played second base until moving to third base for his Fall League assignment, to Double-A Erie in late July. At the Double-A level, Jung hit .284 with 14 homers in 47 games and led the SeaWolves to an Eastern League championship.
It was the first league championship in SeaWolves history.
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"I was loving it," Jung said. "I was loving being able to play in front of the playoff atmosphere. I got to show up at the ballpark trying to go after a ring. Those last few days, it was very fun."
The Tigers believe Jung could make his MLB debut in the second half of the 2024 season, especially if the postseason is within reach, as long as he continues his development in Triple-A Toledo coming out of his first big-league spring training.
But Jung's performance, especially his defense at his older brother's primary position, will determine the exact timeline.
"I'm just going to try to stay where my feet are," Jung said. "I'll grind day in and day out with the Tigers, and I'll try to be at the top next year. The main goal, wherever I finish, is to get a ring."
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Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers prospect Jace Jung gets first taste of World Series
